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The Marvels: Marvel Studios Playing More X-Men/Mutants Mind Games?

Is Marvel Studios playing more X-Men mind games with MCU fans? We had Loki earlier this month - and now? Check out this The Marvels teaser...

Welcome back to our semi-regular look at how Marvel Studios may or may not (but we're leaning toward the former) be teasing the formal introduction of mutants – and thus, the X-Men – into the MCU. For example, we've seen teases in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Disney+'s Iman Vellani-starring Ms. Marvel t- and then there are those rumblings that the upcoming Ryan Reynolds & Hugh Jackman-starring Deadpool 3 could see mutants be a factor in a big way. But what about before that hits? Some folks believe that a sliding door with an "X" on it in the Tom Hiddleston-starring Loki was meant to be a direct nod to Sir Patrick Stewart's Professor X's entrance into Cerebro from the Jackman-starring original films. And then there's the latest teaser for Marvel Studios' Brie Larson, Iman Vellani & Teyonah Parris-starring The Marvels – set to hit screens beginning November 10th…

In "What Comes Next," we see a number of moments from the film as "Be There For What Comes Next" rolls out over the course of the 15-second clip. But it's what happens at the 0:08 mark that has folks arching their eyebrow, with "Comes Next" appearing and then fading away – but with the "X" fading a wee bit slower than the other letters (as you can see above). Of course, this could just be someone having a little fun. But then again, there are rumblings of some big MCH happenings, so you never know. Here's a look at the teaser in question – followed by a look back to when Vellani helped kick open the MCU door on mutants:

When Iman Vellani & "Ms. Marvel" Opened MCU Door to Mutants, X-Men

As you know, Kamala's (Vellani) powers evolved over the course of the season as more intel about them was revealed. The bangle wasn't the source of her power, just a way of activating the power that was already inside of her. Deeper into the series, Kamala's told that she's a supernatural being known as a djinn. But in S01E06: "No Normal," her friend Bruno (Matt Lintz) has an even bigger reveal, telling her that there is something different in her genes… "like a mutation." At that point, you can hear the brief clip from the X-Men: The Animated Series theme song play after Bruno's comment and before Kamala responds. In honor of the comics getting in line with the MCU, we have a look at what Vellani and head writer Bisha K. Ali had to share about opening the door to mutants in the MCU (paving the way for the X-Men), what it was like holding onto the secret, and more.

Iman Vellani, Bisha K. Ali Discuss That MCU Game-Changing Moment

Describing it as the "best day of my life," head writer Bisha K. Ali revealed that bringing mutants into the conversation wasn't a plan that was in play from the start. "It wasn't from the beginning [of the show]. With Marvel, something's always a moving piece, and we're trying to solve this question of, 'If any of [Kamala's family] put the bangle on, would they have powers?' The answer was always no, from a character perspective, no." So having Kamala's genetics different from her family not only served the series' storyline but it also "fit into the logic of the wider MCU."

And what about Vellani? Well, let's just say that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige's attention was clearly gotten with an all-caps email regarding the "X-Men" tease. "They sent me, and only me, the draft [of the final episode], and I immediately freaked out. I emailed Kevin Feige in all caps. I was like, are you doing this like for real? Are you sure? I'm so honored! I was like yelling at him through an email," Vellani revealed. "I was freaking out. This is the biggest deal in the world, and the fact that it's happening in our show is crazy." And if there's one person who understands the potential ramifications of the reveal, it's the Ms. Marvel star. "People are going to lose their minds. They're going to lose everything. I did. It's truly a really big deal."

In fact, her excitement didn't exactly make filming the season an easy undertaking. "It took a really long time to film that scene because any time Matt [Lintz] would say that word, I'd start giggling. I think we got the one take. The one you see in the episode is one of two that we got where I was mildly serious," Vellani explained. "It was really, really, really difficult. I think we have so many outtakes of me just breaking because I was so excited and giddy over this." As for Ali, the game-changer was the kind of thing her teenage self could've never imagined. "I feel so excited as a viewer of my show. The Bisha teen fan girl in me is like, 'I can't believe it.' And the fact that it's Kamala — it's her. It's like her wildest dream already came true over the show [gaining powers], but then we just gave her one more bit of the dream. It's incredible. I'm overjoyed," Ali added.

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